


Stardust Memories

by istilllikekhr



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Feral!Viper, Gen, Mentions of abuse and neglect, Minor Violence, Nonbinary Mammon | Viper, Post-Canon, Viper centric, as in Viper is narrating this after canon ended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27256066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/istilllikekhr/pseuds/istilllikekhr
Summary: Viper decides to talk about their past to Chrome during their training break.Turns out they used to punch people.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 16





	Stardust Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by w_hope feral Vipers. I believe there is a feature to say your inspiration, but I'm not confident enough to try it out lewjkle
> 
> This was very fun to write, and a good way of getting out of my comfort zone.

Most of the underworld knows Mammon for their illusions. Not without reason: they had worked really hard to build that reputation, and it was well deserved at that point.

But it would be wrong to say that they were _always_ Esper Mammon. Not even themselves bothered to correct people at that point, since only _real_ old timers would be there to experience the full story, and it was a little bit too long to casually explain. And people often acted weird when discovering the truth, with plenty of “Oh wow, I NEVER imagined you were like that!” and “Really? You? It can’t be true, you are too tiny for that!”.

Those people always received the proper punishment.

But Chrome wasn’t one of those people.

“Mammon, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you fight when you were my age? I’m having a little bit of a hard time coming up with new strategies…”

They have been training for hours at that point, and Chrome was already leaning on her trident for support a little too much. 

She had even made lemonade for Viper before starting. The stars were aligned for a well deserved break, and honestly? Viper thought their story could help Chrome develop her own fighting style.

“I punched people square in the face.”

Chrome’s eye sparkled with curiosity. “Oh, really? I… actually can see that.” she admitted, not explicitly saying she wanted to hear more, but the way she leaned forward gave Mammon the sign that they had a pretty interested audience.

“Sit. I’ll tell you about it while we rest.”

Grabbing a cup of lemonade for herself, Chrome sat on the ground, eye locked on Mammon as she patiently waited for her tutor’s mysterious past to unfold.

Mammon cleaned their throat and used the best narrative tone they could muster. “So, it started like this…”

\--

Viper didn’t grow up in the best environments. Not great parents, not a great location, not surrounded by nice people.

They had to experience the reality of “kill or be killed” since day one, and unfortunately, got the short end of the stick.

Tiny, frail, solitary and with unusual interests. For the bullies, it was basically a free target for cruelty. Their few possessions were stolen or broken, their break time was filled only with pain, and even in the rare days they were left physically alone, they could always hear a purposefully too-loud whisper about how much of a _ugly stupid useless freak_ they were.

No adults would help, saying that “maybe it’s your fault.” OR “they will get tired eventually”. Even their parents said that.

They had almost resigned to a life of suffering.

The first time they fought back was actually just an outburst of irritation.

Viper had just borrowed an interesting book about frogs off the library. It was a real vintage copy, so they were being as careful as they could with it, holding it tightly over their chest, with a small smile, so rare those days, on their lips.

And obviously two assholes just _had_ to spot them and decide it was time to torment their favorite victim.

From behind, they managed to snatch away the book, and mockinly waved it above Viper’s head. The future illusionist extra desperation to rescue the book apparently was too fucking funny for the bullies, so they just _had_ to take it one step further. However, when one of their greasy hands touched a page with the clear intent of tearing it off, Viper snapped.

At that point, Viper had never hurt another person. Even if they wanted or had to, their body just wasn’t prepared for melee combat. So, when they heard the bully’s back hit the pavement, it actually took a second to understand what just happened. Their fist was still in the air, and had just the tiniest bit of blood on it. The kid on the ground was holding their nose, screaming in pain. The second kid was stunned, eyes alternating between Viper and his fallen comrade.

Holy shit, did Viper just _defend themselves?_ It was possible, after all? 

“Fucking leave me alone.” Their voice cracked, but the intimidation seemed to have worked, with the second boy rushing to pick up his wounded friend and leaving as fast as he could out of there.

The book was intact, and while Viper was smiling because of that too, they just had an epiphany that changed their entire life.

_I can fight back._

_I am not weak._

_I can fight back._

Their entire body was shaking, but it felt so different for the past shivers, often results of either fear or pain. No, this time, their body felt light, and free, and just _happy._

Because if they could protect themselves, it meant that they could leave that awful place. No more bullies, no more neglectful parents, no more suffering in the hands of others.

Another warm wave washed over their body. Viper allowed themselves to imagine the most outlandish of futures for themselves. They would leave, and become super rich, and get married to a really hot person, and they would have a billion friends, and they would never feel sad again.

Might be childish fantasies coming from a 13 year old, but after a lifetime of dreading every waking hour, it was more than fair to daydream about the good things they deserved. 

It was amidst the rush of adrenaline, happiness and freedom that Viper’s flames awakened for the first time.

It took two years before they managed to actually use them however. In the meantime, they just went wild all natural, throwing down punches at the slightest of provocations. They were still as lonely as ever, but now, finally could be lonely _in peace_ , bullies deciding the weird kid got too weird (and strong) to bully. 

They wanted more than just that however. They wanted to get out, and they would. 

Viper had entered the world of underground fighting for the money. Their tiny size, once a source of embarrassment, now was an integral part of their strategy.

They just had to get the right punch in the right place, and then, victory could come easy. And it was easier to dodge the enemy’s attack when they had so little area to hit, especially when they just insisted on looking down on Viper for their size.

No matter. Easier to hit a cocky bastard. It was very satisfying looking down right into the eyes of those kinds of enemies when they just couldn’t move anymore, incapacitated by a “small fry”.

Unfortunately, _she_ wasn’t one of them. 

Viper had sweat dripping down from every part of their body, their clothes soaked, panting, and with all known strategies exhausted by that point. 

And yet, the woman standing in front them was barely sweating. In closer inspection, she wasn’t sweating at all. 

Viper had sensed that whoever she was, it was a cut above than the usual idiots that appeared on the ring. She carried herself with grace and strength, and clearly had some kind of experience on the battlefield already, because there was no way a true amateur could be so fast that it appeared their punches glowed blue, right?

Agile, smart and was taking Viper seriously. This was _very bad news_.

The rent was due in a few days, goddammit. Quite literally, they could not afford to lose.

They had the energy for one more move. They were being watched like a hawk, but if they could _just_ take advantage of her unguarded left side, a single strike could turn the tides of the battle.

Viper was so so sure of it, that they just needed a _single second_ of distraction, they could just visualize the image of that perfect moment simply burned in their mind.

But this was real life. There was no way they could just pull a cheap trick to distract this lady, and there was no way that all of a sudden a perfect copy of Viper would appear to keep the lady entertained while they delivered the final strike.

With resignation, Viper closed their eyes for a second, and dodged to her unprotected side, knowing full well that she could easily catch up with the movement. But for rent, they would take the chance.

...And then, their eyes went wide as instead of immediately looking at her enemy, the woman’s eyes stayed exactly where Viper was a moment before, her guard still not up. 

_My chance._

They could not see what distracted such a high quality enemy, but it didn’t matter. It was the moment they prayed for, and they had to make the most out of it. With the last of their energy, they lunged right at her ribs.

And fell down with a fist right to the forehead.

“Victory to the foreign woman!” the ring exploded with shouts and exclamations, but Viper didn’t want to stand a single second of it anymore.

They rushed out of the ring as fast as they could, cursing inside their head.

_God fucking dammit what I will do now shit shit I need to pay rent I need to pay-_

“Hello there.”

Viper turned their head fast as they heard the voice coming from behind.

It was the woman. 

“I’m impressed with the performance.”

Viper frowed their eyebrows, with the sides of their mouth pointing down. “I don’t care.” They turned around to face away from the woman, but just as Viper would start to walk again, they felt something light hitting their back.

“Take it. Kids like you need money.”

By their feet was a wad of money, no doubt from the lady’s victory.

Viper was too smart to accept so much money like that.

“What is the trick? I am not a-”

“No tricks. I just don’t need it.” The woman raised her hands, showing she had no weapons. “If you really must, take it as a congratulations on your mist flames. Even _I_ got fooled for a second back there. And it was a classic trick too! Honestly, if you just-” The woman paused mid sentence, as she saw the bewildered expression on the teenager's face.

“The _what?_ ”

“You... don’t know about flames?”

“What?”

The woman gave out a sympathetic look, putting one hand on her hips. “Oh kid, you have no idea how lucky you were to find me.”

“Oh, you kick my ass and I am the lucky one here?” Viper went into combat mode, putting their fists up, ready to show this random lady some “luck”.

“Kid, flames could make you never lose again.”

Viper didn’t disengage, but their eyes silently gave away their interest in this invencible thing they were apparently good at.

“I can show you how to use it. I’m not a mist user, but I can give you a little info, regardless.”

Viper’s body tensed. “...Why are you doing this?”

The woman shrugged. “I have a soft spot for troubled teenagers, I guess.”

Viper gave out one last squint before putting their fists down, but the implication that it could and WOULD go up if she tried anything funny was there. “I choose the place where we talk.” Their tone was as imposing as they could muster, but the lady just smiled.

“No problem for me. Hey, what is your name? Can’t keep calling you kid forever.”

“...I’m working on it, but I go by Viper. Because they only need one good strike. Like me.”

The lady looked shocked by a second, and then, laughed wholeheartedly. 

Viper tried to hide their blush behind their hoodie, but from her reaction, she definitely saw it.

“I-It’s a fucking cool name, don’t laugh.”

Between her trying to catch her breath and a wheezing laugh, she tried to explain herself. “No, no, kid, it’s - oh god - it’s a good name. It’s just that I call myself Cobra. Oh man, is this what destiny feels like?”

Viper turned, cheeks still a noticeable shade of red, but the pure embarrassment was subsiding. “I don’t believe in destiny. I will make my own.”

“Oh kid, I like you. Now, take me to… where us snakes go around those parts.”

The duo ended up at a fancy burger joint, where Viper _totally_ intimidated Cobra in order to pay, and where their destiny would be changed forever, once more.

It only took five minutes for Viper to be totally hooked on those “mist flames”, but Cobra was kind enough to give information about the entire rainbow. Three hours went by full of explanations, questions and most of all, all the _cool_ strategies Viper came up on the spot.

But eventually, it had to end.

“So, Viper, anything else you want to ask?”

“I don’t think so, at least not for now.” 

“Good.” In their distraction, Cobra managed to ruffle their hair. “I gotta go, kid.”

Viper tried to look angry being treated like a kid, but the anger didn’t quite reach their eyes. 

They stood there for a second. They were afraid of sounding stupid, but the bravado of teenhood was stronger. “Uh, will I see you again, Cobra?”

Viper never looked more like a kid than that moment. Their eyes were shining with quiet expectation as they looked at Cobra, nervously holding the tip of their own sleeve, the size of their hoodie just a little bit too big for them, making them look even smaller.

Cobra's heart broke silently.

“I don’t think so. Sorry.”

“Ah.” They bit their lower lip, crossed their arms and looked at the ground. “Well. Okay. Thanks for the info and money. Bye.”

They were about to rush out of the awkwardness created, but a hand gently landed on their shoulder.

“Good luck in your life, kid. You will go far.”

And then, the pressure left their shoulder. Viper stood there, listening to the footsteps getting quieter and quieter, until they eventually just couldn't hear it anymore.

Cobra was a woman true to her word: Viper never managed to find her again. Sometimes, they even wondered if she actually existed, or they just hallucinated some motherly figure in a dire emotional moment.

But she did her job. It was hard learning alone, but Viper was pleasantly surprised to discover that they did in fact have an innate talent for illusions, and after some fine tuning, they were practically invincible on the battlefield against flameless users.

Phantom Menace. Furious Spector. Revenant of Pain.

All titles earned from first making their enemies question their sanity and reality, with subtle but effective illusions placed all over the ring, amazing footwork to dodge all the attacks and then, all of a sudden, giving one good punch right at their weak point when they least expect it.

It was around the time they started getting a fourth nickname that underground battling started to feel too small.

They had potential for much more. More power, more money, more _more._ The world never felt so vast like those few last months dreaming about the amazing heights they would reach after leaving their nest.

It was so nostalgic.

Viper discovered that Cobra gave out one last gift to the martial illusionist. Well, not literally, but searching for that woman was a good starting point to enter the underworld. They had to find some informants, and then the informats led Viper to some people, and then Viper had to beat those people for information, and then the people came back for revenge, and then Viper had to get stronger to protect themselves…

It became an interesting circle. Every battle they won, they became stronger, and richer, and influential, and feared.

As far as Viper was concerned, they were on the top of the world.

And what do you know, it was confirmed when they received an invitation to join “The World's Strongest.”

Ah, if only they refused it. Nowadays, the fantasy of “where would I be if I never accepted the invitation” was quite rare, considering that they were going to grow up again after the curse was lifted, but it still managed to creep up on their mind sometimes.

But the problem with the “world's strongest” people was that they liked showing off.

Their first meeting was full of that. Apart from Luce, everyone was on such a damn high horse, trying to show how amazing and strong they were with unfriendly banter and passive aggressive conversations. No doubt if the mansion belonged to one of them, it would have been in shambles after a free for all.

Viper cringed from the memory. 

(but they would have participated in the fight, anyway)

They remember getting bored of seeing Verde and Reborn argue who could take over the mafia world first and deciding it was time to check out the forest outside. Maybe there would be some cool frogs.

This was probably their second biggest regret. Not because a stroll was a bad idea, but maybe if they just stayed on the mansion that _annoying fucking freak_ wouldn’t have taken such a special liking to Viper.

It took just a few minutes to arrive at a slightly less arborized part of the forest, perhaps because years ago it was used as part of the main garden, but now laid abandoned, with nature slowly taking over. Between the sound of ruffling leaves and insect’s buzz, there was a familiar croaking sound.

_Jackpot._

Viper made their way to the source of the sound, a little frog that happened to be taking a bath in a puddle.

And then, _he_ appeared. 

“Good evening. What a coincidence for us to meet here. Viper, isn’t it?” Fon stood tall, with hands obscured by his long sleeves, and smiled sincerely at the illusionist, who didn’t bother turning to look at the martial artist.

“Yes. Now leave, I’m busy.”

“Ah, you see, I was actually hoping to…”

“You want a fucking fight?”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t say ‘a fucking fight’, I’m just curious to see your technique.” Fon walked closer, now with a smile that was more maniac than friendly. “It’s so rare to see a mostly physical mist user…”

Viper sighed. The frog was _really_ cool, but they had to put some punk in their place.

And that cape was brand new too. Ugh.

After making sure the froggy had jumped to safety, Viper assumed their defensive stance.

“Come and get, pretty boy.” 

Viper was aware of Fon’s prowess in battle, even before the meeting, but they found out soon enough that his combat level was actually downplayed by the reports.

His “very fast” kicks felt more like “light speed”, and it was only thanks to Viper’s quick reflexes that they didn’t get a broken nose right off the bat. 

They rolled to the side, avoided another stomp directed at their face, and quickly elbowed the dirt below them.

Right under Fon appeared a tentacle that grabbed his support leg, earning a distressed grunt from the man, and Viper lunged forwards, aiming for the classic rib hit.

A broken rib was always painful.

But Fon was fast, and as soon as he saw where Viper was headed, used his free leg to propel himself in the air, and using the tentacle as a support, managed to connect his previous attack with a kick that was directed at Viper’s now unprotected back.

Viper was ready for that possibility. With an almost unnoticeable hand movement, the tentacle disappeared, and instead of following the trajectory, Fon basically launched himself on the mud, sliding with a surprising amount of grace still.

Viper took advantage of the distance between the two to quickly see what they could use to their advantage. They could construct anything with their flames, but having a physical base for that could help a lot.

Right above Fon’s head was a mess of vines that would simply be the perfect base for some nasty tentacles.

However, the martial artist noticed what their plan would be, and knowing that he couldn’t close the distance in time, went for a cheap trick and used his dirty pants to throw mud at Viper’s eyes.

It was simple, but enough to stop the illusionist plan halfway, giving Fon the time to jump to a safer location and finally, launching a proper kick that had everything to hit the opponent. Just to make sure, he coated it in the purest storm flames Viper had ever seen, making sure the illusions would be dissolved.

The second that mud was thrown, Viper had already started their defensive strategy, summoning a wall of tentacles that erupted from the ground. They were aware that it would not stop Fon, but that was just a distraction anyway, and he fell right into it.

Seeing the wall, Fon smiled smugly, and Viper felt very satisfied to see that condensation be transformed in confused panic as Fon felt a shoulder being slammed in his right arm, coming from an illusionary copy of Viper.

It gave the mist user a chance to wipe off their face, and the storm user to recover from the impact.

Just as both parties were about to go head-on-head, punch versus kick, they stopped on their tracks as they heard a concerned voice coming from behind.

“Oh no, you guys are all dirty! Are you okay?”

Luce was standing on the entrance of the glade, one hand over her pregnant belly, and the other gently touching her cheek as her eyes glanced over the huge amounts of mud over the storm and mist clothes.

“Ms. Luce, do you need help?” Fon’s aura completely changed as he headed to the pregnant woman, concerned with her state.

“I’m just fine, Fon. It’s just a little walk from the mansion. And what about you, Viper?” 

Viper had stood exactly where they stopped battling, but had already dropped the combat position. “Just dirty.”

“Oh, good! I don’t know if Reborn is a healer, so I’m glad you two are just fine. Let’s head back, shall we? I think there might be a washing machine in the mansion.”

Viper mumbled, but soon, was side to side with Luce and Fon.

“Viper, I must say, you are quite an unique fighter. It was an amazing experience, so thank you for that.” Fon said with a smile, almost as if he didn’t try to break their nose five minutes ago. 

“You are faster than expected. But still weaker than me.”

“I shall gladly have a rematch to prove you wrong.”

“Bring it on, I’ll be the one gladly breaking your ribs.”

Luce laughed. “It’s good to see your guys getting along. We will be a group from now on, you know?”

“Yeah, as if I am banding with you bunch.”

Luce smiled gently at her future mist, but for Viper, it was more enigmatic than nice. “Take your time, dear.”

Viper gave out their best “tch” and tried to ignore the lively conversation between their two companions.

What settled inside their chest wasn’t exactly...warm. It didn’t make them feel fuzzy on the inside, but instead, gave them shivers.

The good kind however. The same ones they got when they got paid well to do a job, or discovered a dirty secret about someone, or were just about to get rid of a very annoying enemy.

Fon was a formidable enemy. Way more interesting than the usual crooks they fought against. And they wondered just _how_ the others would act in combat, becoming especially interested in Reborn.

The future could be very interesting. They didn’t need to become part of the group, but for sure, would make an interesting observation exercise.

And then the curse happened.

The rest is history.

\--

“Fon can still get away with kicking because he can get more momentum, but my baby fists are useless for punching, so I had to become an illusionist full time.”

“Viper...I had no idea.” Chrome looked a little stunned from the sudden information dump, but she had paid attention during the entire story.

“Most people don’t. I don’t think even Varia knows that. I tried punching Bel, but it had no effect, so they don’t even imagine.” 

Chrome looked down for a second, thinking if she really wanted to say that, but decided that everyone could appreciate a word of encouragement, even her tutor. 

“I… I’m happy that you will be able to punch again soon, Mammon. Well, soon as in ten years or so, but still, I’m really excited to see your full potential!” With a shy smile and a blush, Chrome put up her firsts as a sign of camaraderie.

At that second, Viper understood Cobra, deeply and truly, because by the gods, did they feel like ruffling Chrome’s hair. 

But instead, they threw a little punch at the girls arm, making her giggle.

“Don’t laugh, kid. If I was fully grown, you would be dead by now.”

“Ehehe, for sure.”

“If you have the energy to laugh, you have the energy to go back to training. Let’s go, kid.”

And with that, they resumed their training, with Chrome showing a noticeable increase in punching tecnique, and Viper couldn’t be more proud.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first time writing Viper, Fon, Luce AND fighting scenes, so if anybody has feedback, I would be happy to hear it! Thank you for reading!


End file.
